Scan barcode
A review by booksbythewindow
The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yōko Ogawa
For full review: https://booksbythewindow.wordpress.com/2022/08/03/the-housekeeper-and-the-professor/
Summary: The narrative of The Housekeeper and the Professor is told from the perspective of the unnamed housekeeper as she remembers the time she spent looking after the house of a mathematician whose memory only lasts eighty minutes. As she adapts to the situation, she and her son, Root, develop a friendship with the Professor and he teaches them about the depth that numbers can hold.
Overall Thoughts: The Housekeeper and the Professor is a quiet narrative, with more emphasis placed on the characters and their relationships than a heavy plot. Each character, from the Housekeeper, to the Professor, to Root, is fully realised and sympathetic, with the reader easily able to engage with them. The way in which Ogawa writes all the small details of the every day workings of these friendships and the routines they put in place to help the Professor with his memory are understated and yet contain so much depth. I really enjoyed The Housekeeper and the Professor and particularly the way in which Ogawa wrote the friendships within the narrative. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is interested in literary fiction, and even those who perhaps don’t usually read the genre but would enjoy a quieter, more character-focused narrative.
Summary: The narrative of The Housekeeper and the Professor is told from the perspective of the unnamed housekeeper as she remembers the time she spent looking after the house of a mathematician whose memory only lasts eighty minutes. As she adapts to the situation, she and her son, Root, develop a friendship with the Professor and he teaches them about the depth that numbers can hold.
Overall Thoughts: The Housekeeper and the Professor is a quiet narrative, with more emphasis placed on the characters and their relationships than a heavy plot. Each character, from the Housekeeper, to the Professor, to Root, is fully realised and sympathetic, with the reader easily able to engage with them. The way in which Ogawa writes all the small details of the every day workings of these friendships and the routines they put in place to help the Professor with his memory are understated and yet contain so much depth. I really enjoyed The Housekeeper and the Professor and particularly the way in which Ogawa wrote the friendships within the narrative. I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is interested in literary fiction, and even those who perhaps don’t usually read the genre but would enjoy a quieter, more character-focused narrative.